It’s easy to forget how different each school community is in shape and structure.

For example, compared to high school, a school in a city may offer fewer sports due to lack of land, shifting the emphasis from athletics to technology. Differences in the educational and social environment explain why new students often have difficulty integrating into a new school.

However, one student quickly adapted to his new environment and responsibilities, even though he came from a country with different backgrounds and customs.

Laurin Eichler, a German exchange student, proved to be an exemplary student and a good football player at the Hamburg area high school. His initiative is commendable, but it is important to note that his new school is very different from his school in Germany.

In Germany, school was a 10-minute bike ride for Laurin, and transportation consisted mainly of walking, cycling, and taking the metro. The school day usually started at 7:55 a.m. and ended at 1:00 p.m., and he would occasionally attend school on Sunday afternoons ending at 3:30 p.m.

Compared to the usual daily routine of high school, his schedule was shorter on weekdays, lasting about five hours, compared to about seven hours at Hamburg High School. However, with shorter school hours, he and most of the other students ate lunch at home rather than at school. In addition, as during the FLEX period at Hamburg High School, he often had time to recharge his batteries or catch up on work.

“In Germany we have breaks throughout the day, so after the second and fourth period we have 50 minutes of break,” Laurin said.

Although the German school may seem easy, Laurin believes that there are major differences in the workload of the two schools.

For example, he finds that German education values ​​students who work independently and gives them more homework because of their higher expectations. In Germany, he was part of the Gymnasium, a secondary school known for challenging students by learning personalization and teaching them interpersonal skills, as noted in Study In Germany, a resource for those curious about the country’s school system. This additional difficulty did not discourage him, however, as he preferred the German education system.

Sport is also an area of ​​division between the German school in Laurin and the Hamburg high school. While Hamburg High School integrated classes and athletics by requiring students to join teams and practice every day, his old school placed students in sports clubs and only had them practice twice per week.

“Here in the United States we practice every day when we play at school, and it’s different because I usually only have two practices a week (in Germany),” Laurin said.

Laurin’s experiences within the German education system offer a unique look at alternative learning with different schedules and priorities than the Hamburg area high school. His ability to adapt to the American school system is linked to his learning experience there, and his opinion of the Hamburg-area high school has been more than positive. As he continues to live here, students should wish him the best in his academic and athletic endeavors.

For more information on the German education system, visit www.studying-in-germany.org/.

The story of young Joshua Castro from Hamburg was previously published in the Hamburg area high school newspaper “Hawk Happenings”.